Jesus the Good Shepherd

 

PSALM 23; REVELATION 7:9-17; JOHN 10:22-30

Our Gospel reading is taking place on the Feast of Dedication, which is better known as Hanukkah. Hannukkah celebrates the successful Jewish revolt led by Judah Maccabee against the Greek Seleucid Empire and the rededication of the Second Temple (164 BC), which had been desecrated by placing a statue of Zeus in it and sacrificing pigs in it. After their successful revolt, though they didn’t actually have any royal blood, the Maccabees then established themselves as a new royal lineage.

Fast forward a few years and the Jewish people were dealing with the Roman Empire. King Herod didn’t have any direct Jewish royal lineage when he was put in power by the Romans, so he married a Maccabean (Hasmonean) princess to strengthen his legitimacy in the eyes of the Jewish people.

Hannukkah was about remembering the rededication of the Temple, and the liberation of their people from oppression, but it was also a time to think about oppressive empires, the overturing of rulers, and the establishment of a new king.

In the Bible, the image of the shepherd is used to refer to leaders- Often to kings, and also to God. So, during Hannukah, when Jesus says, 

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11); and 

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (Jn 10:27) 

he is leaning on that cultural understanding of what “shepherd” is referring to. He is claiming to be at least a king, which is what it means to be the Messiah.

The image of the shepherd is a beloved way for Christians to think about Jesus. We see this in Peter’s first letter- 

“For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.”; 

“And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away” (1 Pet 2:25; 5:4). 

We also read is Revelation, 

“the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life” (Rev 7:17). 

So, when Christians looked back through Scripture, like Psalm 23, and read “The Lord is my shepherd” it was natural for them to read and think about Jesus.

It's easy to sentimentalize the image of the shepherd, but we can miss the depth of what Jesus is saying if we don’t see the broader context of talk about shepherds and sheep in the Bible. So, I want to just look at some of these passages to help us understand what Jesus was saying, especially given that he is saying this during Hannukah.

Sometimes these images are used in a negative way. In Ezekiel, God speaks to the prophet saying, 

“Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.” 

“…Thus says the Lord God, I am against the shepherds; and I will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so that they may not be food for them. For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out” (Ezekiel 34:2-6,10-11).

“I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken” (Ezekiel 34:23-24). 

Keep in mind that this is long after David lived, so the reference to David here is considered a messianic prophecy.

In Jeremiah 23 we read a warning to the corrupt and unfaithful leaders, 

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! … It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord” (23:1, 2-4).

And in Zechariah we read of the result of this bad shepherding, 

“… Therefore the people wander like sheep; they suffer for lack of a shepherd. My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock …” (Zech 10:2-3).

The prophet Isaiah says that God will care for the flock, 

“He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep” (Is 40:11). 

And Jeremiah says, 

“I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15).

And, of course, the most famous and comforting image of all the Old Testament shepherd images is Psalm 23, which we just read. There, God is the shepherd who leads the people to places of peace and restoration, and whose presence removes fear when in the presence of enemies and when walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

it is important for us to see the rich imagery that was in the background as Jesus was teaching. When Jesus starts talking about being the Good Shepherd he is invoking this imagery. … Jesus is describing himself as the good shepherd in contrast to the bad shepherds and the hirelings. All through the Old Testament, corrupt and unfaithful leaders are described as bad shepherds who take advantage of the sheep- They use them for their own gain- for the extension of their own ego- willing to use others as instruments for their own goals. They put their own safety before the safety of the flock. … Jesus is not looking to take advantage of the sheep. In fact, he is willing to give up his life for the sheep (Jn 10:11). Out of self-sacrificial love, he will give his life up for the flock on the cross. He is the Good Shepherd.

With this Old Testament backdrop, Jesus’s statement to be the Good Shepherd is a claim to be the Messiah. As we read in Ezekiel, the new King David is set up as the shepherd of the people. … So, Jesus’ claim to be the Good Shepherd isn’t just a comforting pastoral image, it is a bold declaration to be the Messiah. His use of sheep and shepherd imagery invokes the prophets and their criticisms of bad leaders, which still applies to their own day.

King Herod was a ruthless ruler who prioritized power and loyalty to Rome over the well-being of his people. He was infamous for his paranoia and brutality- even executing family members, including his wife and sons.

Of the Chief Priests, the scholar Eugenia Constantinou writes, 

“a tremendous rift had developed between the chief priests and the ordinary priests over whom the chief priests had authority. The chief priests abused their positions to enrich themselves and cement their power. First-century Jewish sources and other early Jewish texts such as the Talmud describe the corruption of the chief priests, who sent club-wielding men to steal the agricultural tithes and valuable animal hides that ordinary priests had earned for their service in the Temple. Many Jewish writings report nepotism and the mistreatment of ordinary priests by the priestly aristocracy, including physical beating. Some ordinary priests deprived of their earnings became so impoverished they literally starved”.[1]

So, the judgement of the prophets against the leaders of the people was still accurate. The corrupt leaders of Israel are false shepherds who exploit the sheep for their own personal gain. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is willing to lay down his life for the sheep.

At Hanukkah, the Jewish people remembered their struggle against the Seleucid Empire, just as they now struggled against Rome. And just as a warrior ‘king’ rose up to rescue them from that oppressive empire, so they were hoping for the Messiah, a righteous king, to rescue them. … Jesus steps into that moment and declares that He is the fulfillment of that hope. He is the true Shepherd, the new King David, the one who will gather and care for God’s people.

He wasn’t just their Good Shepherd; he is ours as well. We just came through an election and there’s a lot of passion and hope leading up to the vote. We have a deep hope for a good leader, but what we hope for is probably too much to expect. Psalm 146:3 reminds us, “Do not put your trust in princes”. Our hope for a good Shepherd is ultimately only fulfilled in Jesus- Our Good Shepherd who guides us into all that is good and beautiful, into green pastures and near still waters, and who protects us in the presence of our enemies and through the valley of the shadow of death- who loves us so much he is willing to die to save us. AMEN

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[1] Eugenia Constantinou in “The Crucifixion of the King of Glory” (P. 84). Her source is Josephus.